Piston ring expander



iF'une 22, 1937. R. R. TEETO 2,084,828

PI STON RING EXPAN'DER Filed Sept. 25, 1935 Patented `lune 22, 1937 l UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.`

.2,084,828 rrs'roN ,RING EXPANDER Ralph R. Teetor, Hagerstown, Ind., assignor lto The Perfect Circle Company, Hagerstown, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application September 23, 1935, Serial No. 41,708

4 Claims. (6l. 309-43) My invention relates to piston ring expanders than the circumference of the bottom of the ring for use in connection with and adapted to auggroove II. ment the expanding action of piston rings for The spring members I5 are each constructed internal combustion engines and the like. from a single piece of spring wire formed to a 5 One of the objects ofmy invention is to pro- 'closed figure of somewhat rectangular loop shape.

vide an improved piston ring expander of the Each spring member I5 has its mid-portion I 'l 5 foregoing character, which is simple in construcbowed inwardly to seat against the supporting tion, is quite inexpensive to manufacture, and band I4 and to provide `oppositely extending which is highly efcient and durable in use. spring arms I8 that overlie the supporting band l Another object of my invention is to provide I4 in spaced and substantially parallel relation an improved piston ring expander 0f the type thereto. InV mounting the Spring members l5 10 embodying a supporting band adapted to be upon the supporting band I4, the mid-portion I'I mounted in a piston ring groove and which carof each spring member is seated at and between ries a plurality of spaced spring members overthe respective pair of band lugs I6, and the latter l lying the outer face of the band and adapted to are then turned over and clinched upon the adjaexpandingly engage the inner surface of the Cent Wires 0f the Spring member aS Clearly l5 piston ring. A shown in Fig. 1. The ring-contacting portions I 9 A more specific object is to provide an expander at the outer ends of the spring arms i8 may be of the foregoing character wherein the spring vSlightly bOWed 0r Curved aS ShOWn. members are formed of spring wire constructed In the 115e 0f the eXpander 0f Figl, the Sup- 20 and arranged to provide spring arms adapted porting band I4 is mounted within the ring groove to engage the ring and insure the desired pres- II in snug engagement With the bottom of the sure characteristics of the ring and proper conlatter. The Spring arms I8 0f the Spring memtact between the ring and the cylinder bore. bers engage the rear Surface 0f the ring with suf- Other objects and advantages will become apeient eXpanding pressure t0 insure the desired parent as this description progresses and by refpressure Characteristics of the ring and the prop- 25 erence t0 the drawing wherein,- er contact between the ring and the cylinder bore.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of In some cases, the expanding action of the ex- I one form of expander embodying my invention, pander may be augmented by addition of auxand illustrating one spring member in assembled iliary Spring memberS Such aS ShOWn in Fig. 2

relation upon the supporting band and another MOre particularly, the Structure Shown in Fig. 30 spring member in separated relation ready to be 2 iS Similar t0 that 0f Fig. 1, eXCept that Spring mounted upon Such band; units including a main spring member 20 and Fig. 2 is s view similar to Fig. 1 of a, modified an auxiliary spring member 2l are employed.

form of expander embodying my invention; and The main Spring member 20 iS Similar to the 35 Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of a piston show- Spring member l5 0f Fig. 1 and the auxiliary ing the expander of Fig. lin position behind a Spring member 2| iS Similar t0 the main Spring piston ring, member 2U, except that it is of reduced width In the drawing, I have illustrated my invenand length That iS t0 Say the auxiliary Spring I tion as applied to a piston I0 having a ring groove member 2| iS, preferalllyy 0f a Width that Will t 40 in which a, piston ring l2 is mounted An snugly within the main spring member 20, and

expander |3 embodying my invention is mounted it is of such length that 'its ends terminate near in the ring groove H behind the piston ring |2 the central portions of the sprmg arms 22 of the The expander Shown in Fig. 1 includes al Sup main spring member 2Il.- The spring members 20 o porting band I4 and a plurality of spring memnngdbznranooufiegcisna dulllonztlhsport' 45 bers I5. The supporting band is, preferably, of (Fig 2) simrly to thi chnchingg of theeb substantially the same width as the piston ring lugs'ls of Fig 1 In the use of this form of my groove II,and itis provided at intervals throughinvention th trains or uloard, to which the out its length With Falls 0f laterally extendlng spring members are subjected are distributed be- 50 lugs I6 which, as will be described further heretween them,

inafter, Serve for attaehment 0f the Spring mem- It will be understood that while I have shown bers I5. The supporting band I4 is, preferably, only two forms of structure embodying my incut and formed from a. sheet of soft steel, and vention, other changes in details and arrangethe length of the band (Fig. 3) is slightly less ment of parts may be resorted to without depart- 55 ing from the spirit and scope of my invention as dened by the claims that follow.

I claim: f 1. A piston ring expander comprising a metal- 5 lic supporting band having spaced lugs along its opposite edgesv with the lugs along one edge aligned with the lugs along the other edge to provide spaced pairs of aligned lugs, and a plurality of spaced-apart spring members, one for each pair of lugs, carriedby said band, each said spring member takingthe form of a single piece of wire shaped to provide a rectangular-like loop having'its mid-portion bowed inwardly away from the plane of the loop to seat upon said band between its respective pair of said lugs, the

end portions of said spring members constituting spring arms overlying said band in face-toface spaced relation,-said lugs being turned over and clinched upon the adjacent wire sides of said spring member. y

2. A piston ring expander comprising a supporting band formed of metal, spaced pairs of aligned lugs formed along the opposite side edges of said band, and spring members carried by said band, each said spring member having the form of'a spring wire loop of rectangularflike shape bowed inwardly at its intermediate portionv to seat upon said band between its respective pair of said lugs, the end portions of said spring member constituting spring arms overlying said band in spaced relation, and said lugs being turned over and clinched upon the adjacent wire sides of said spring member.

3. A piston' ring expander comprising a supporting band, spring units carried by said band and adapted to engage the inner surface of the piston ring, each spring unit including a pair of spring members each formed of spring wire of closed loop form and having an intermediate portion adapted to seat upon said band and end portions overlying said band in spaced relation, and means on said band for securing said spring members thereto as a single spring unit.

4. A piston ring expander comprising a supporting band, spring units carried by said band and adapted to engage the inner surface of the piston ring, each spring unit including a pair of spring members each formed of spring wire of closed rectangular-like loop form with one of said spring members shorter and narrower Ythan the other so as to t within the other, the intermediate portions or"A both said spring members` being similarly bowed toward said band to seat upon theklatter with their end Vportions overlying said band in spaced relation, and means along the side edges of said band engaging the intermediate portions of both said spring'members for securing said spring members as a spring unitl to said band.

RALPH R. TEETOR. 

